John Grant @ 02 Shepherds Bush Empire – Gig Review

Last night we were over at the Shepherds Bush Empire to see John Grant as part of his latest tour following the release of his first solo album, ‘Queen of Denmark‘, in the summer of last year.

Being first at the doors, we got in with plenty of time to settle down at the front of the upper circle to see Julie Ann Bee perform some pieces from her musical project ‘Sea of Bees‘. An androgynous figure, Julie Ann, or Jules as she is better known, regaled us with some of her folk rock tunes, including ‘Marmalade’ and ‘Gnomes’. The titles of her songs are not the only quirky aspect of her performance – she sings with a strangely affected ‘little girl’ voice – quite disconcerting and rather odd! The friend I went with frankly hated it but I think I might walm to her style with time. You’ll find some sample tracks on her myspace page here – judge for yourself I guess!

What followed was a long set from John, with his bold and dark take on a 1970s rock vibe. This guy is really the Leonard Cohen of the 21st century – during his monologues between numbers he freely admitted that only one of his songs has any joy and optimism in it, and his chocolately rich baritone voice (very unusual in a male solo artist – they’re usually high-pitched squealers) just adds to the down-beat pathos of it all.  Read the in-depth article on the Guardian from last year here, and you’ll probably gain an understanding of where this comes from – he’s one of life’s real survivors having managed to make his way through some very harrowing experiences. Make sure you check out ‘Marz‘, a heart-rendingly emotional monologue about the candies found in his local sweetshop as a boy, and ‘TC and Honeybear’, which focuses about the insecurities he felt during a past relationship. ‘Sigourney Weaver’ and ‘JC Hates Faggots’ are good listens too.


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About Pete Stean

Pete Stean is a London-based writer and photographer. He can also be found on Twitter and on Google Plus.

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